The Destruction Gap: A Study of the Unprotected Societal Interest in Privately Held Artworks

Imagine putting a Warhol through a washing machine, a Rembrandt in a recycling bin, or a Seurat in a shredder. If you are the lucky owner of a masterpiece by one of these artists you may take any of these actions and face no legal repercussions, thereby destroying the artwork and removing it from the cultural landscape. Our understanding of world history would be neither as beautiful, illuminated, nor as informed if artworks of cultural significance like these were destroyed. For example, little would be known of the ideologies of pre-historic civilizations but for the sculptures, wall paintings, and other artistic endeavors our predecessors have left behind. Beyond their historical significance, these original works of art can improve critical thinking skills and the viewers’ mood. Thus, there is a general societal interest in preserving our shared artistic history for generations to come

Untersuchungen zur Hochlicht-Akklimatisierung von Arabidopsis thaliana Mutanten mit Defekten im Kohlenhydratstoffwechsel

Der Einfluss von Kohlenhydratstoffwechsel und Akklimatisierungsprozessen an Hochlicht-Bedingungen wurde anhand von A. thaliana Doppelmutanten mit Defekten im Tages- und Nachtexport von Photoassimilaten untersucht. Hierzu wurde eine kürzlich identifizierte Mutante mit vollständigem Funktionsverlust des Triosephosphat/Phosphat Translokators (TPT; tpt-2) sowohl in den Hintergrund von (1) Mutanten mit einer deutlich beeinträchtigten Stärkebiosynthese in Blättern (AGPase, adg1-1; plastidäre Phosphoglukomutase, pgm1; Phosphoglukoseisomerase, pgi1-1) als auch in (2) Mutanten mit Defekten im Stärkeabbau (Glukan Wasser Dikinase, sex1-3) bzw. im Export von Stärkeabbauprodukten (Maltoseexporter, mex1-2) eingekreuzt. Die erstaunlicherweise überlebensfähigen Doppelmutanten zeigten eine starke Wachstumsretardierung und mit Ausnahme der sex1-3/tpt-2 Doppelmutante einen Photosynthesephänotyp. Dieser war charakterisiert durch eine verminderte Photosyntheseeffizienz und eine stark erhöhte Grundfluoreszenz. Daher wurden diese Doppelmutanten auch als „Hoch-Chlorophyll-Fluoreszenz“ (HCF) Mutanten definiert. Es wurde festgestellt, dass der HCF Phänotyp nur unter Hochlichtbedingungen ausgebildet wurde, während die Doppelmutanten unter Schwachlichtbedingungen phänotypisch vom Wildtyp nicht zu unterscheiden waren. In der adg1-1/tpt-2 Doppelmutante führte eine Anzucht im Hochlicht zu einer dramatischen Veränderung der Gehalte von Photosynthese assoziierten Proteinen. Die plastomkodierten zentralen Untereinheiten von beiden Photosystemen waren stark verringert, während die kernkodierten Lichtsammelkomplexe weder auf transkriptioneller noch auf Proteinebene eine Veränderung zeigten. Die Ursache der stark erhöhten Grundfluoreszenz konnte auf eine Ablösung der Lichtsammelkomplexe von den Photosynthesezentren zurückgeführt werden. Die erhöhte Fluoreszenz der ungebundenen Lichtsammelkomplexe wurde im Licht durch den Prozess der „Hoch Energie“ Löschung in Form von Wärme abgestrahlt. Dieser Prozess kann als protektiver Mechanismus interpretiert werden und wurde in dieser Form bisher noch nicht beschrieben. Es wird postuliert, dass die beobachteten Veränderungen im Zusammenhang mit einer fehlerhaften Hochlicht-Akklimatisierung aufgrund einer veränderten retrograden Signalgebung stehen. Aus der Analyse von genomweiter Expressionsdaten konnte abgeleitet werden, dass Veränderungen der Lichtintensität dennoch perzipiert werden und zu einer Modulation der chloroplastidären Genexpression führen. Fütterung mit exogener Saccharose führte zu einer Revertierung des HCF- sowie des Wachstumsphänotyps im Hochlicht. Daher wird die Rolle Zucker-abhängiger Signalwege bei der Hochlicht-Akklimatisierung diskutiert und ein Modell postuliert, wie es zu einer regulatorischen Funktion des Kohlenhydratstoffwechsels kommen kann

Nitrogen fixation in sediments along a depth transect through the Peruvian oxygen minimum zone

Benthic nitrogen (N2) fixation and sulfate reduction (SR) were investigated in the Peruvian oxygen minimum zone (OMZ). Sediment samples, retrieved by a multiple corer were taken at six stations (70–1025 m) along a depth transect at 12° S, covering anoxic and hypoxic bottom water conditions. Benthic N2 fixation was detected at all sites, with high rates measured in OMZ mid-waters between the 70 and 253 m and lowest N2 fixation rates below 253 m down to 1025 m water depth. SR rates were decreasing with increasing water depth, with highest rates at the shallow site. Benthic N2 fixation depth profiles largely overlapped with SR depth profiles, suggesting that both processes are coupled. The potential of N2 fixation by SR bacteria was verified by the molecular analysis of nifH genes. Detected nifH sequences clustered with SR bacteria that have been demonstrated to fix N2 in other benthic environments. Depth-integrated rates of N2 fixation and SR showed no direct correlation along the 12° S transect, suggesting that the benthic diazotrophs in the Peruvian OMZ are being controlled by additional various environmental factors. The organic matter availability and the presence of sulfide appear to be major drivers for benthic diazotrophy. It was further found that N2 fixation was not inhibited by high ammonium concentrations. N2 fixation rates in OMZ sediments were similar to rates measured in other organic-rich sediments. Overall, this work improves our knowledge on N sources in marine sediments and contributes to a better understanding of N cycling in OMZ sediments

Expectativas de gênero e seus atravessamentos nas brincadeiras da educação infantil

O presente estudo teve por objetivo analisar os atravessamentos de gênero nas práticas pedagógicas e nas brincadeiras de uma turma de “Maternal 3”, evidenciando as expectativas acerca dos comportamentos de meninos e meninas. Como estratégia de coleta de dados, adotaram-se, privilegiadamente as observações com registro em diário de campo; processo que teve a duração de seis meses. Além disso, de forma complementar, foram feitas entrevistas semiestruturadas com a professora e auxiliar de ensino da turma, bem como com a diretora e coordenadora pedagógica da escola. A análise dos dados se deu por meio dos procedimentos da Análise de Conteúdo. Evidenciou-se que gênero produziu práticas pedagógicas normativas que tentaram invisibilizar os sujeitos que se desviavam do centro. Essa invisibilidade pareceu necessária para reforçar as relações de poder que estiveram presentes nas rotinas e atravessaram as práticas pedagógicas, direcionando os alunos aos seus “devidos locais”.The present study aimed to analyze gender crossings in the pedagogical practices and playtime activities in a nursery group - "Maternal 3”, highlighting what was expected from boys and girls in regard to their behavior. As a data collection strategy, semi-structured interviews and observation, in which notes were taken and registered in a journal, were the methods adopted. This process took six months. It was evident that gender produced normative pedagogical practices which tried to make invisible the subjects who deviated from the center. This invisibility seemed necessary to reinforce the power relations that were present in the routines and crossed the pedagogical practices, keeping the students in “their places"

Altered Cortico–Striatal Functional Connectivity During Resting State in Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder

Background: Neuroimaging studies show that obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by an alteration of the cortico–striato–thalamo–cortical (CSTC) system in terms of an imbalance of activity between the direct and the indirect loop of the CSTC. As resting-state functional connectivity (FC) studies investigated only specific parts of the CSTC in patients with OCD up to now, the present study aimed at exploring FC in the CSTC as a whole. Methods: We investigated potential alterations in resting-state FC within the CSTC system in 44 OCD patients and 40 healthy controls by taking into consideration all relevant nodes of the direct and indirect CSTC loop. Results: Compared to healthy controls, OCD patients showed an increased FC between the left subthalamic nucleus (STN) and the left external globus pallidus (GPe), as well as an increased FC between the left GPe and the left internal globus pallidus (GPi). Conclusion: These findings may contribute to a better understanding of the OCD pathophysiology by providing further information on the connectivity alterations within specific regions of the CSTC system. In particular, increased FC between the STN and the left GPe may play a major role in OCD pathology. This assumption is consistent with the fact that these regions are also the main target sites of therapeutic deep brain stimulation in OCD

Dissecting the Physiological Function of Plant Glyoxalase I and Glyoxalase I-Like Proteins

The Arabidopsis genome annotation include 11 glyoxalase I (GLXI) genes, all encoding for protein members of the vicinal oxygen chelate (VOC) superfamily. The biochemical properties and physiological importance of three Arabidopsis GLXI proteins in the detoxification of reactive carbonyl species has been recently described. Analyses of phylogenetic relationships and conserved GLXI binding sites indicate that the other eight GLXI genes (GLXI-like) do not encode for proteins with GLXI activity. In this perspective article we analyse the structural features of GLXI and GLXI-like proteins, and explore splice forms and transcript abundance under abiotic stress conditions. Finally, we discuss future directions of research on this topic with respect to the substrate identification of GLXI and GLXI-like proteins and the need of reliable quantitative measurements of reactive carbonyl species in plant tissues

Approaches to Assess the Suitability of Zooplankton for Bioregenerative Life Support Systems

Future manned space exploration will send humans farther away from Earth than ever before (e.g., to Mars), leading to extended mission durations and thus to a higher demand for essentials such as food, water and oxygen. As resupplying these items from Earth is nearly impossible, aquatic bioregenerative life support systems (BLSS) appear to be a promising solution. Due to its central role in aquatic ecosystems, zooplankton could act as a key player in aquatic BLSS, linking oxygen liberating, autotrophic producers and higher trophic levels. However, prior to the utilization of BLSS in space, organisms proposed to inhabit these systems have to be studied thoroughly to evaluate any space-borne adverse traits, which may impede a proper function of the system. To investigate the impact of microgravity (μg), in particular, several platforms are available, providing μg periods ranging from seconds (Bremen drop tower and parabolic flights), to minutes (sounding rockets), up to even days and months (space flights and the International Space Station (ISS)). Furthermore, ground-based facilities, such as clinostats, enable the of candidate organisms to variable periods of simulated/functional μg. In this book chapter, research on zooplankton utilizing these methods is summarized